Gold Coast Chickens Australia
Common Chicken
Illnesses, Symptoms and Treatments
Serious illnesses in chickens is usually unlikely
in a backyard flock, especially if you have vaccinated your chickens. However it is still good to be aware of them in case you ever are wondering, is my chicken
sick? Diseases can spread from wild birds and pests, so keep an eye out during
your daily health checks for the symptoms listed below. Also check your coop weekly for things such as wasp nests, rodents, and any other pests. I know it can be scary when you have a sick chicken from experience but do try not to worry too much, hopefully some love care and simple treatment can help.
Secondly, check the birds skin for ticks incase it has a paralysis tick on it which can be removed, the sooner a tick is removed the more chance of survival.
·
Avian Pox/Fowl Pox:
Symptoms: White spots on
skin; combs turn into scabby sores; white membrane and ulcers in mouth, on
trachea; laying stops; all ages affected.
How contracted: Viral disease;
mosquitoes, other chickens with pox and contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care,
warm dry quarters, soft food; many birds with good care will survive.
Vaccine available: Yes; recovered
birds are immune and do not carry the disease.
·
Botulism:
Symptoms: Tremors quickly
progressing to paralysis of body, including breathing; feathers pull out
easily; death in a few hours.
How contracted: Caused by a
bacterial byproduct and by eating or drinking botulism-infected food or water
Treatment: Antitoxin
available from vet but expensive. If found early try 1 teaspoon Epsom salts
dissolved in 1 ounce warm water dripped into crop several times a day.
Vaccine available: None; locate and
remove source, usually decaying carcass, meat near water, or insects that fed
on the meat or the water the carcass is in.
·
Fowl Cholera:
Symptoms: Usually birds over 4
months — greenish yellow diarrhea; breathing difficulty; swollen joints;
darkened head and wattles; often quick death. Does not infect humans.
How contracted: Bacterial
disease; wild birds, raccoons, opossums, rats, can carry. Also transmitted bird
to bird and on contaminated soil, equipment, shoes, clothing contaminated water
and food.
Treatment: None — destroy
all infected birds if recovery occurs the bird will be a carrier
Vaccine available: Yes, but only
your state Department of Agriculture can administer it.
·
Infectious Bronchitis:
Symptoms: Coughing; sneezing;
watery discharge from nose and eyes; hens stop laying.
How contracted: Viral disease;
highly contagious; spreads through air, contact, and contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Supportive care; 50
percent mortality in chicks under 6 weeks.
Vaccine available: Yes. Give to
hens before 15 weeks of age because vaccination will cause laying to stop.
·
Infectious Coryza:
Symptoms: Swollen heads, combs,
and wattles; eyes swollen shut; sticky discharge from nose and eyes; moist area
under wings; laying stops.
How contracted: Bacterial
disease; transmitted through carrier birds, contaminated surfaces, and drinking
water.
Treatment: Birds should be destroyed
as they remain carriers for life.
Vaccine available: None.
·
Mareks Disease:
Symptoms: Affects birds under 20
weeks primarily; causes tumors externally and internally; paralysis; iris of
eye turns gray, doesn’t react to light
How contracted: Viral disease;
very contagious; contracted by inhaling shed skin cells or feather dust from
other infected birds.
Treatment: None; high death rate
and any survivors are carriers.
Vaccine available: Yes, given to
day old chicks.
·
Moniliasis (Thrush):
Symptoms: White cheesy substance
in crop; ruffled feathers; droopy looking; poor laying; white crusty vent area;
inflamed vent area; increased appetite
How contracted: Fungal disease;
contracted through moldy feed and water and surfaces contaminated by infected
birds. Often occurs after antibiotic treatment for other reasons.
Treatment: Yes. Ask a vet for
Nystatin or other antifungal medication. Remove moldy feed and disinfect water
containers.
Vaccine available: No.
·
Mycoplasmosis/CRD/Air Sac Disease:
Symptoms: Mild form — weakness
and poor laying. Acute form — breathing problems, coughing, sneezing, swollen
infected joints, death
How contracted: Mycoplasma
disease; contracted through other birds (wild birds carry it); can transmit
through egg to chick from infected hen.
Treatment: Antibiotics may save
birds — see a vet.
Vaccine available: Yes.
·
Newcastle Disease:
Symptoms: Wheezing, breathing
difficulty, nasal discharge, cloudy eyes, laying stops, paralysis of legs,
wings, twisted heads, necks
How contracted: Viral disease;
highly contagious; contracted through infected chickens and wild birds and is
also carried on shoes, clothes, and surfaces.
Treatment: None. Birds under 6
months usually die; older birds can recover. Recovered birds are not carriers.
Vaccine available: Yes, but the
U.S. is working to eradicate the disease.
·
Omphalitis (Mushy Chick):
Symptoms: Newly hatched chicks —
enlarged, bluish, inflamed naval area, bad smell, drowsy, weak chicks
How contracted: Bacterial
infection of naval from unclean surfaces or chicks with weak immune systems.
Can spread from chick to chick on contaminated surfaces.
Treatment: Antibiotics and clean
housing sometimes help, but most chicks will die. Remove healthy chicks
immediately to clean quarters.
Vaccine available: None. Use
caution handling — staph and strep that cause this disease may infect humans.
·
Pullorum:
Symptoms: Chicks are inactive,
may have white diarrhea with pasted rear ends, breathing difficulty, or die
without symptoms. Older birds — coughing, sneezing, poor laying.
How contracted: Viral disease;
contracted through carrier birds and contaminated surfaces, clothing, and
shoes.
Treatment: Destroy all infected
birds — birds that recover are carriers. Most chicks infected will die.
Vaccine available: No vaccine, but
there is a blood test to find carriers. While the U.S. is trying to eradicate
this disease, buy chickens from Pullorum-negative flocks only.
I hope these help, if anyone has any further illnesses, symptoms and treatments or personal experiences with sick chickens please share in the comments below, the more we share the healthier our chickens can be!
